


Melting Point

by Rainy_Summer



Series: Tales of Kings [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Dubious Consent, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-01-24 02:18:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21330637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Summer/pseuds/Rainy_Summer
Summary: Three years after leaving Polaria, Renjun was finally living the peaceful life he desired in Io, with his son, Chenle and his brother, Yongqin.One day, however, they found their lives in danger against unknown enemy.If it wasn't bad enough, Renjun found his and Chenle's safety at the hands of the very person he still feared the most.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Series: Tales of Kings [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1511894
Comments: 215
Kudos: 1078





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those who wanted a sequel for Frozen Heart. 
> 
> If you are already contented with the ending of FH, then it would be fine if you don't want to read this anymore. I really just want to give Jeno a redemption. 
> 
> For new readers, I think it's better to at least read FH before this, but then I tried to summarize the events from my other fics but I'm not sure if that would suffice.

Renjun carefully put the scissors back to the small box. He scooped the strands of platinum blonde hair that had fallen on the blanket and put them inside the silk golden pouch, before putting back the said pouch on the same box where he placed the scissors. 

Usually, it was only the first hair cut of the child that the parents keep, but Renjun found himself wanting to keep every strands of Chenle's cut hair. Children could grow up fast. Time would pass, without him noticing, Chenle would be old enough to live without him, and it would only be the strands of his hair that would keep him company for those days of longing. 

It was supposed to be the job of the servants, but Renjun was still not used to people having to do things for him and his child. He had been the one who was serving for so long, after all. 

Besides, he needed a distraction. 

He stared at the small frame of the child in front of him. Chenle was uncharacteristically well behaved. Had it been last week, the task of cutting his child's hair would have been difficult. He stayed still all through out the process, small pointer finger tracing the floral embroidered pattern on the sheets. 

The windows on their room, that were usually open wide to let the fresh air enter, were shut close. Renjun felt suffocated. He felt locked up. 

He could not help but feel disappointed at the turn of events. He had been contented and happy in Io for the past years. He had never felt safer in his entire life before living in Io. 

Io was the paradise that Renjun dreamed of when he was a child. The paradise that took too long to reach. The paradise that healed the wounds he incurred in his journey, starting from the moment he left Sayara, carrying nothing but hope and childish dreams. 

♚♚♚  
Hardly anything grows in Sayara. Certainly not the crops. 

While the other countries experienced famine for some time, when they displeased the gods, perhaps it could be concluded that Sayara might have displeased all of them. Sayara experienced famine all year round. 

It was difficult for anyone to survive, especially for three children whose mother was too busy chasing after alphas, who would pluck her out of the barren land and plant her to a land where he would bloom. Hadn't she learn her lesson? Wasn't all of her three sons products of false promises? 

Yongqin was a child of someone from Icaria, Renjun was from someone from the west, and Chenle, or whom they affectionately called as Lele, was a child of a sea dweller. 

Three different men, three different promises, three different disappointments, three more children to feed.

Not like she ever feed them, anyway. She was hardly even present in their lives. They either scavenge for foods, or fall asleep hungry. In a place where everyone lacks almost everything, there's hardly anything to scavenge, so it was mostly the latter. They still managed to survive, or so they thought. 

Burying his youngest brother, who died at the age of eleven because of hunger, had been one of Renjun's saddest memory. The other one was watching his remaining brother break himself, just to make sure Renjun stayed whole. 

The night that they buried Chenle, seventeen years old Yongqin left Renjun to his own grief. He came back the next morning, limping, but with foods to put on their plate. 

It became a routine. Yongqin would leave during the night only to return in the morning, more broken than the last time. Renjun had to pretend that he could stomach the foods, just to salvage the remaining dignity that his brother had. 

There were only a few options to earn for a living in Sayara. One would be to be a fisherman, but that was mostly taken over by alphas and betas. Yongqin was seventeen and still unpresented, he would most likely be an omega. Being fisherman was not an option. 

Renjun was thirteen then, and maybe the harsh living condition made him more mature. He put two and two together. It was not that difficult to figure out what his brother was doing. It was not that difficult to figure out what he was selling. 

Hardly anything grows in Sayara. Certainly not hope. 

So when the opportunity to leave the forsaken place was offered to Renjun, he quickly grasped the chance. Hope was in some other place and he would find it. 

A stranger in beautiful clothing approached him and offered him a chance to work as a servant in Icaria. He would be payed, he said. He would be able to live a better life, he said. Maybe Renjun was too young, or maybe he was too desperate to allow himself to be lured by false promises.

Yongqin had been furious. He did not give Renjun his permission. But the younger already made up his mind.

He happily boarded the ship to Icaria and basked in the dream that one day, when he already earned enough, he would return to Yongqin and the two of them would live a comfortable life, where Yongqin would not anymore have to do what he did not want to do. 

His dreams were crushed when they arrived in Icaria. The promised payment? They all went to the stranger. His master told him that he bought him. He owned him. Renjun is a slave whose life and death were at the palm of his owner.

Renjun had tried to escape multiple times, only to be caught and punished. Sometimes he would be reprimanded with physical pain, sometimes he would be starved and overworked.

Renjun soon learned his lesson. He hoped to survive. The only way that he would survive would be if he learned to appease his master.

Presenting as an omega had been one of the hardest obstacle. His master, an elderly alpha had wanted to be pleased in ways Renjun could not stomach. 

When the mistress, the alpha's wife found her husband pinning Renjun to his bed, she went mad.

She had Renjun tied up to a post and whipped him until there were more blood than skin visible on his back. Renjun thought that it would be his time to go. But he survived. 

To be honest, he wasn't sure if he should he thankful for his mistress. Sure he almost bled to death but he was saved from being taken against his will. 

He found himself being sold to another mistress. He found himself hoping that this time, his new owner would be better. 

For a while, he thought that his wish were granted. 

Lady Min, his new mistress had been kind. She let him recover from his injuries before allowing him to assume his duty as servant. She fed him well, better than his last master, who would feed his slaves three times a week. 

She seemed so kind and would often ask for his story and Renjun would retell his life in Sayara, his dead brother, Lele, and his older brother Yongqin, whom he wanted to return to in the future. 

She offered him a proposition. She would set him free. He could return to Sayara along with a bag of silver coins that he could spend with his brother. In one condition, of course. 

Lady Min would arrange for him to be a servant in the palace. He would be close to the King Consort of Icaria, and he would kill him. 

Lady Min was one of those aristocrats who opposed having a King Consort from another country. She wanted her own daughter to be the queen. She can only act on her plans once the King Consort from Polaria disappear. 

'You should do it fast,' she said. 'I have been kind to you. It's only a simple task.'

She warned him never to betray her. Or else, there would be grave consequences. His brother would be the one to pay if he would make any mistake. 

It was difficult to kill a royalty who was surrounded by guards the entire time. It was more difficult to kill the only person in Icaria who treated him like human, not a disposable thing, not an emotionless animal. 

King Consort Haechan even dared to call him a friend. Some friend Renjun was. 

The more time that he spent with Haechan, the less willing he became to fulfill his mission. 

But he had to do it. It was either Haechan or Yongqin. 

When he was with the former master, he learned to use the extract of of midsummer peonies as medicine. It numbed people's body to enable them to endure pain. He, along with the other servants would drink the extract after being punished severely, so that they could still work and avoid more punishment. But Renjun saw how too much of it could affect the mind of the people. He saw three slaves pulled themselves to their own death. 

He was hoping that Haechan would do the same and spare Renjun of doing it himself. 

But the midsummer peonies were taking too long to take effect. It was as if there's something inside the King Consort's head that was fighting it off. 

Lady Min sent him a discreet message. Do it. Do it fast or your brother's life might not be able to wait for you. 

He lured Haechan to go to the Tower of Ero, with him. He would kill him there. It would be easier to escape from there. He would finally leave, but not before confessing his sins. 

Sleeping potions were a common commodity. It was easily found in the palace where advisors and nobles ,who were too restless about the issues in their country, were having trouble falling asleep. He put a few drops on Haechan's tea. His plan was simple. When sleep started to take over, he would confess all of his sins. And then he would kill him with his dagger, let his blood flow on Renjun's hand, the sight to be embedded in his mind forever. He would carry the guilt with him. 

Poisoning Haechan to death would be too treacherous, he realized. 

But who was he kidding? He was only making up reasons, trying to make sense of nothing, just so he could buy himself more time. 

He dropped the dagger on the ground. 

That was when the Kings of both Icaria and Polaria arrived along with the palace guard. 

Renjun found himself imprisoned in the dungeon, being questioned by guards. Beside him was the old physician who, Renjun was not aware, was plotting Haechan's death as well. 

The two kings entered. It was like a draw in a lot, a random chance. It could have been him whose head had fallen off to the cold ground. 

With one swift move, the King of Icaria swung his sword towards the physician's head, her blood spluttering on Renjun's clothes and face. Renjun tried to control his breathing. The stench of blood was making him want to throw up. 

The King of Polaria angrily shoved his brother's husband to a wall, berating him for acting on instinct. He said they should find out the real threat. That Renjun and the physician were merely pawns. Disposable and less important. 

Renjun found himself being forced to walk towards Icaria's northern gate, he knew he was marching towards his own demise. Outside the gate, they boarded the ship to Polaria, where Renjun would suffer a much cruel fate than that of the physician. 

On the first night, Renjun found his arms shackled above his head, his old scars reopened, and more were created. Amidst it all, King Jeno of Polaria stood there. Void of guilt. Void of remorse. Void of pity. 

The king wanted answers, answers that Renjun was not willing to give. 

He could not protect himself, but he would do anything to keep Yongqin away from the trouble that Renjun brought upon himself. 

He asked for death instead, but he was told by the king that death would be his mercy. 

And he was right. 

To be beaten up until you're half dead, to be patched up, only to be subjected to the same abuse again, he had lost counts on how many times he had begged the doctors not to heal him again. 

But they were also just receiving orders from the king. 

Renjun's resolve was getting weaker. The more time that he spent inside the cell, the more tempted he was to speak the truth, to point out who was supposed to be the one suffering instead of him. 

But he had to make sure, Yongqin would be safe. 

He tried to test the water. He tried engaging the king in a conversation about Haechan. That was their common ground. They were the same. They were both brothers who wanted to protect their siblings. He hoped that maybe he would understand.

He didn't. His hopes were crushed, his skull almost as well. They were different. The King had the power to protect the people he cared about, Renjun didn't. His only chance was to keep his mouth shut. 

He had not speak about brothers after that. Instead, he only answered with snarky remarks that would probably piss the king off, so that he would just kill him and escape this misery. 

One snarky remark that Renjun regretted was asking the King to help him during his heat. He had not known that King Jeno would take up the offer. 

He had Renjun pinned on the ground, fucking him mercilessly as Renjun begged for more, more and more until the heat subsided and both of them regain sanity realized what had transpired between him. 

Renjun had never begged the king for his life. Yet, he begged him to be fucked. 

He felt shame. Anger. Regret. 

The king left him there to cry on his own, grieving about the last of his dignity that had already perished. 

☆☆☆

Yet, that night led to the birth of Chenle. No matter how dirty he felt that night, he would not trade his child for anything at all.

Chenle was leaning forward and then suddenly jolting. He was starting to fall asleep. Renjun pulled him and set him on his lap, the child's head automatically resting on his Appa's chest.

Chenle was becoming heavier. He was growing. He was growing so fast that he started asking for his other father whom he called as Papa.

The child knew from his uncle, King Consort Taeyong of Io, that his Papa was the King of Polaria. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he was not really planning on lying to his child. 

It was just that the more Chenle knew, the more he asked.

'Where is Polaria?'

'Why is he not with us?'

'Does Papa love me?'

How would Renjun answer them, anyway? Especially the last one. 

King Jeno tried to hurt him, back when he was not born yet. And Renjun had been afraid since then. 

But the King held his child before they boarded the ship to Io. He held him with tenderness and he gazed at him with affection. 

Or maybe it was just Renjun's eyes playing a trick on him. 

He rubbed Chenle's back to lull him to sleep, and to distract himself from succumbing to the invasion inside his mind of another batch of contradictory thoughts. 

Contradictory. What a way to describe King Jeno. 

He was the one who was responsible to the abuse and torment that he experienced in Polaria. He was ruthless. He showed no remorse for his actions. He treated Renjun like he was the lowest of the low. He tried to hurt Chenle. 

And then all of a sudden, he became a caring person. 

He sent them to Io because the People of Polaria were to cruel for people who were not their kind. He sent them ships, which carried gifts not only for Chenle but for him as well, the finest that Renjun had ever seen, which made him feel odd. While Chenle was King Jeno's son, Renjun was not in anyway related to him, although Taeyong still confusedly refer to him as the King's mate despite the absence of claiming mark. Renjun felt like a concubine, a dirty secret kept hidden in far away land. 

Among all the unexplainable actions that King Jeno did, finding ways to rescue his brother at the hands of Lady Min was the most baffling. Not that Renjun wasn't thankful. He was. Having not seen his brother for a long time, he was glad that they were now together in Io. Not really together because his brother refused to share the same space and breathe the same air as nobles. He lived in Io, but not inside the palace. 

Why did the King bother? What was it to him whether Yongqin was alive or not. It wasn't his concern. 

There was a knock outside his door. 

"Your Grace," Guanheng, one half of the knight who was guarding him and Chenle spoke. "The King of Polaria came here to see you. "

Think of the devil and he would appear. 

After the failed attack of an assassin, which was sabotaged by his own accomplice, last week. Renjun had been on the edge. Always afraid of everything. 

A few days ago, Guanheng announced the same thing. Renjun was shocked because he did not think that the King of Polaria would travel all the way to Io just to check how they had been. And maybe, he wasn't that ready yet to meet the King. 

Still, he had to be polite, he will not risk displeasing the king, especially since he had Chenle with him. 

He bowed on the ground to greet him and motioned for Chenle to do the same only for the door to open and the loud cackling of his brother to surround the room. 

He sighed. He wasn't stupid to fall for the same trick again. 

"Not funny, Yongqin. I swear, using the King's name in vain would cost you your head one day. " He answered, not even bothering to look up from where he was staring at Chenle's half asleep state. 

"I assure you, I do not have any plan to behead your brother." A voice he had not heard for three years answered.


	2. Chapter 2

Flashes of his memories in the dark cell of Polaria returned to him. He was shackled to the wall, his already battered body still receiving the lashes of the guard's whip. He was crying in pain. He was crying for death. 

Death.

Death so he could be free. 

Death so Yongqin could live. 

Death so he could be at peace. 

"Death for you was mercy. "

The King had no mercy. 

Bleed. Heal. Only to bleed again. 

To step on the fires of hell, and to be pulled back again. To live for another day, to have another day to desire death. 

Platinum colored hair was stained with red, Renjun's blood. 

Blue piercing eyes were staring at him. Unforgiving. Unrelenting. Merciless. 

♔♔♔  
The wounds on his body had long healed. But, the scars were still on his body. They were still in his mind, in his soul. 

'He is going to hurt you,' his mind told him. 

'He is going to hurt you and Chenle.'

Renjun was glued to his place. He could not move. The wave of fear completely paralyzing him. 

Chenle was suddenly wide awake, curious at the stranger in front of him. He made his way out of Renjun's grasp and off the bed. 

'Don't let him go. The King will hurt him.'

But Renjun's entire body was numb. He couldn't move at all. He could only watch their interaction in front of him. 

Chenle made his way to the King of Polaria until he was right in front of him. He looked up at him with big curious eyes. 

"Hi, " Chenle greeted King Jeno and Renjun paled. That was so impolite, not a good way to greet a King. 

"Hi, " King Jeno answered back, fondly smiling at the child. 

"Are you really the King of Polaya?"

Jeno chuckled. "Yes. I am the King of Polaria." He corrected. 

Chenle's eyes grew wider, three small fingers made its way to his mouth, a habit he was yet to outgrow. He twisted awkwardly as he anticipated the answer to his next question. 

"Are you Papa?"

King Jeno kneeled in front of his son. He placed his big palm on top of Chenle's head and Renjun's breath hitched in fear. 

"Is that what you want to call me?"

Chenle nodded. 

"Then, I am Papa."

Chenle broke into a smile. He reached up his arm towards King Jeno's neck, asking to be carried. The king complied, wrapping his arms around his child to carry him before standing up to walk towards Renjun.

"Hello, Renjun. How have you been? "

♚♚♚

There was a carriage already waiting for them when they arrived in Io, the carriage that would take them to God knows where. 

Renjun held on to Chenle tightly, he was still doubting whether they were really going to safety, or they were heading to their death. The shaky sailing for a month had increased his paranoia. 

Will the King of Polaria be true to his promise? 

Why would he? Who were they anyway? He was just a servant, a peasant from Sayara. 

But Chenle was the King's son! 

Yet, he was a bastard son. 

A mistake. 

A dirty secret that needed to be hidden. 

But he held him with tenderness. He held him with care. He gazed at him like good father would to his beloved child. 

But what if? What if? 

The carriage came to a halt. Chenle was still in deep slumber. Peaceful. So in contrast with Renjun's raging heart. 

"We have arrived, Your Grace, " the guard said as he open the carriage door. 

Renjun hesitantly stepped outside, momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. 

He squinted to see clearly. 

In front of them were hundreds of people, servant, guards, knight—they were bowing at them in greetings. 

The crowd parted and the members of the royal family emerged. 

A beautiful omega with platinum hair and purple eyes walked towards him and Renjun took a step back. 

"Is this my nephew? " he said excitedly, hands automatically reaching for Chenle. 

Renjun took another step back. 

The beautiful omega pouted. 

An alpha came forward to comfort the omega. 

"Maybe we should let them be for a while, my love? They had a long journey. "

The alpha looked at him. "The two of you will be safe here. We guarantee that. "

♕♕♕

Safe. Renjun was safe. He had been for too long. 

He wasn't sure anymore. 

Taeyong arrived not too long to greet his brother, and to take Chenle away. The child pouted and cried, still not ready to part ways with his new found Papa. 

It baffled him how easy Jeno had pacified Chenle, when it was always difficult to make him stop crying when he was in a fit of throwing tantrums. 

He talked to Chenle in a gentle voice, to come with Taeyong and they will have more time to spend together lately. 

Chenle nodded and let Taeyong take him away from King Jeno's arms. But not before pressing a saliva riched kiss on his Papa's cheek. 

That was how Renjun found himself alone with the King of Polaria. 

"He grew up fast," King Jeno said, talking about Chenle fondly. 

"He did, Your Majesty, " he answered back just to be polite. 

They were followed by a long silence. 

"Do you know why I am here?" King Jeno asked him afterwards. 

Renjun kept his eyes down, not brave enough to look at him in the eyes. 

"I figured it has something to do with the attack on us last week, Your Majesty."

"Indeed, " Jeno affirmed. "It has something to do with that. We found out who wanted you dead. "

Renjun waited for him to continue. He wasn't sure if asking him would be impolite. 

"Queen Jeongyeon, " King Jeno said. "The Red Queen of Paree."

Renjun was shocked. Confused. Paree was a very far away land. He had never been there at all. What would give anyone from there, most especially a queen, the motive to Kill Renjun and Chenle? 

"Tell me Renjun, how much do you know about your parentage?"  
♛♛♛

Paree was the only remaining independent Kingdom on the western continent that was yet to be absorbed by the Empire of Pandor. It was used to be ruled by the Alpha King, Jinho. Jinho had three wives, all of them bore him a child each. 

The first wife, the Queen gave birth to an alpha, the supposed heir to the throne. The entire family of the first wife, including the heir where found dead in their estate, blood completely drained from their body, the culprit was nowhere to be found. 

The second wife had also gave birth to an alpha. They too, suffered the same fate as the first wife's family. Dead, drained completely of their blood. 

Not soon after, it was King Jinho himself who was found dead, again, completely drained of his blood.

Paree was now under the rules of Queen Jeongyeon, the youngest wife, the Queen Regent until her child would present, as she hoped, an alpha. She was called the Red Queen. It was speculated that she was the one responsible for the deaths but no direct evidence could implicate her. Rumors said that all of her gowns were red because she washed them on the bloods of the people she had killed. 

Jeongyeon was too young when she married King Jinwoo. She was only sixteen, having just presented. The house she belonged to were known to be generations of power hungry people. Young Jeongyeon was used as a pawn, forced to marry a King twice her age. 

They were finally succeeding. They had placed their family on the peak of hierarchy. 

But there was only one problem. 

The journal of the alpha son of the second wife was recently found inside their now abandoned estate. It was stated there that he acknowledged a child that was bore to him by a Sayaran prostitute as his son. 

If the child of Jeongyeon ended up not presenting as an alpha, the second alpha son's child, or his descendants could challenge their family for the throne. 

They must get rid of the bastard. 

Only the woman, the prostitute, was found in Sayara. She had been dealt with accordingly. Her second child, the bastard prince of Paree, was nowhere to be found. It was said that the bastard fled Sayara to escape the harsh living condition. 

Still, they looked for him until they traced him to Icaria, Polaria, and finally, to Io. 

♚♚♚

"How sure are you that I am the bastard prince, Your Majesty?" He asked. He was still shock and confused at the revelation about his parentage. Him? A prince? 

"I am not, " King Jeno answered truthfully. "But the assassin is. The one who betrayed his comrade."

Renjun and Chenle had been strolling on the trail outside the vicinity of the palace, escorted by Guanheng and Yukhei, the knights assigned to guard them. Suddenly, there was an arrow aimed at them which narrowly missed Chenle's head. Guanheng had stayed to guard them while Yukhei rushed towards the attacker's direction only to find the alpha archer stabbed to death by his omega accomplice. 

"He confessed," King Jeno stated. "He pointed out the master mind for plotting against your life in exchange for pardon and protection."

That easily? They did not subject him to torment to squeeze an answer? 

"You do know that it was still unknown where Paree stands between our conflict against Pandor. We do not know if they're enemies or allies." Renjun nodded in understanding. "Tell me honestly. Did you really not know who your father is?"

Renjun suddenly looked up to the King of Polaria who was staring down at me. He knew the implication of the question. He knew the underlying accusation. 

If Renjun knew who his father was, then he could be a spy planted by Paree, perhaps under the order of Pandor. That was what King Jeno was thinking. 

Renjun began to panic. He was not going through the same thing again. This time, he was innocent, he was really innocent. He did not do anything wrong. 

They should not punish him. They should not hurt him. It was not his fault that he was his father's son. 

He felt the tears suddenly wetting his cheeks, falling continuously. 

"Renjun," the alpha in front of him called his name. Renjun whimpered in submission. 

"Renjun, " the alpha tried again. 

But Renjun was to afraid to speak. Only a choked sob escaped his lips. 

"Tell me the truth," the alpha king insisted. "And I promise to believe you."

'He will not believe you,' his mind taunted him

'He will believe what he wanted to believe.'

The alpha tried to touch him, but Renjun flinched. 

The musky scent in the air intensified, filling up Renjun's lungs. The alpha grasped his shoulders firmly but gently. 

"Look at me, " Renjun was ordered and the omega in him immediately obeyed. "Calm down."

Renjun started to breath slower, heartbeat slowly returning normal. He shook his head. "I really did not know, Your Majesty."

"Okay," Jeno nodded, slowly pushing him backward to sit back on the bed. "I believe you."

Renjun breathed a sigh in relief. 

"I need you to do something for Chenle and for yourself." The King looked at him intently but not in an intimidating manner. "Return to Polaria and marry me. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed new characters and I stumbled upon Dumb Litty by KARD and then Feel Special by Twice, and I was like, damn, perfect!
> 
> Also, just a reminder, I understand that not everyone can forgive Jeno for what he did in frozen heart. In that case, I guess the perfect ending was already that one in FH where they parted ways.

When Renjun and Chenle were first sent to Io, the travel by ship had taken almost a month for the sea had not been their ally. It would have been easier had they travelled by sea to the northern gate of Icaria and travelled by land to the south west gate and then by sea again to Io. But back then, Jeno was skeptical to ask permission from the King of Icaria to let them pass. King Mark was still angry at Renjun then, and King Jeno was afraid to risk their safety then. 

Perhaps, King Mark had already forgiven him, or perhaps, they view Chenle as a person of important role in the future. They were granted the pass to travel on Icarian land and had managed to arrive to Polaria in less than a week. 

Renjun found himself sitting on a red velvety chair as his brother, Yongqin tried to fix the veil on his head. 

"I knew it. Those gifts were indeed courting gifts." His brother told him. 

"They weren't," he insisted. "If there were other options he would not marry me. I would not marry him either."

'Marry you, Your Majesty?' He recalled asking his husband-to-be. 

'When I sent the two of you here, it was to protect you from my people, and to protect you from Mark. But, they weren't the biggest threat anymore. It's the Queen of Paree we needed to be wary about. Polaria is very closed off. No outsider could get inside without permission, unlike Io who was very welcoming. And if you marry me, the Queen would think twice before harming you. The assassin she sent will remain with us, always ready to implicate her. Harming you would mean that she would be waging a war against Polaria and all of our allies.'

'But Chenle is your son, your Majesty, regardless if you marry me or not. You can just take him with you ,and leave me to survive on my own.'

'But you would not like that. Me taking Chenle away from you. Besides, I would be bound to get married anyway, but if it wasn't you, it was difficult to guarantee if Chenle would be safe at the hands of my future husband or wife.'

Renjun and Chenle sadly bid goodbye to the King and Queen of Io, the two princesses, Sooyeon and Soojung and all the other people in the palace who had been kind to them. 

Io was heaven. The people had accepted Renjun, Chenle and Yongqin wholeheartedly. They were never judged for their background, Renjun as a former slave, Yongqin as a former prostitute. Io had given them the chance to start over again. To live as human again, instead of just tools for other people to use. 

But even heaven was not anymore safe for them. They had to leave. 

King Jeno had been considerate. He knew how unkind the people of Polaria was, even the servants. He let him bring his own people. Yongqin would became his personal attendant along with Jungwoo, the former assasin sent to kill him, who had already pledged his loyalty to Renjun and Chenle. Yukhei and Guanheng would remain his and Chenle's personal guards. 

Crowned Prince Jaehyun and Prince Consort Taeyong joined them on their travel, to attend the wedding and show support for the marriage. This would also be the first time that Taeyong would return to Polaria after what happened six years ago. 

King Mark and King Consort Haechan would also attend the wedding at Jeno's request, and Renjun did not know what to expect from their presence. 

Yongqin moved away from him to give him a once over. Then he sighed. 

"I would not even be able to see you walk down the aisle."

Aside from Chenle, Yongqin was his only family left. Renjun felt guilty for not being sad after being told that their mother was killed when they were searching for him. He could not feel anything about it at all. So did Yongqin. Even though his older brother had stayed behind on Sayara, no efforts were made to fix mother and son relationship. 

Still, as far as the people of Polaria are concerned, Yongqin was a servant, a personal slave to the King-Consort-to-be, regardless if he was the brother of Renjun. It did not sit well with Renjun before, but his brother pacified him. "It was for the best," Yongqin had told him. "That way, I could always be by your side. The people in the palace cannot be trusted. We don't know who your enemies would be. It's safer this way."

"It only we are in a different situation, " his brother said. "I would not let you get married to the very same person who was responsible for your deepest scars."

"But we do not, " he answered back. "I do not anymore just live for myself. I live for my son. He is just a child, but people are already plotting against his life. I know I cannot protect him on my own. This is the best that I can do. "

♛♛♛

The long trail of the white coat created from the fur of arctic foxes rubbed against the marbled floor as Renjun walk.

It was not how the traditional wedding clothes for a King Consort groom was supposed to be. It was supposed to be made of combinations of sheer and thin white fabrics, crafted and sewed elegantly. The people of Polaria were known as the children of the snow, they could even run around naked in Polaria, if it would not be deemed scandalous. But Renjun was not a child of snow. He was not a Polarian. In fact, he would be the very first Consort from outside Polaria because the House Lee had always tried to keep their bloodline on the throne, marrying their children to each other's cousins.

They had to make arrangement with the clothes or else, Renjun would freeze to death before the wedding was even over. Maybe that was what most of the people were hoping for. 

He could already feel the stares aimed at him. They were filled with disgust, some envy, mostly hatred. 

When he was still preparing along with his brother Yongqin, Jungwoo had entered the room they were in to warn Renjun. 

"I have taken a quick peak at the guests, Your Grace, and I do believe I should warn you about the people you would met. "

"How do you even know them?"

"We assassins have methods of knowing the important people, Your Grace. "

Renjun was still wary of Jungwoo, but he would admit that the information given to him were great help in distinguishing the people around him. 

At the very back were the Knights of the Royal Family. After the the Battle of Sayara, most of them became loyalists of King Jeno. But since some of them came from noble families who were unpleased with their union, no one was certain which among them would still stand behind King Jeno. 

On the left side, front of the knights were the Lords in Blue, the members of the Royal Council, advisors to the King. They were clearly displeased that the King did not listen to their opposition to the marriage. 

On the right side parallel to the men in blue were the members of the House Lee. The former King and Queen were at the very front. The former Queen was glaring at him and was probably muttering insults against him inside her head. The former King was looking straight ahead, refusing to spare him a glance. 

Of the members of the House Lee, Jungwoo had warned him to be very cautious at two specific people. Two sisters. Both of them omegas. 

"The person with hair as white as snow, the one in red." Jungwoo described. "That's Jiwoo, the white witch of Polaria. You might be wondering how she got the nickname. All of her previous fiance ended up dead, the cause was unknown. She never got punished because there was nothing that could implicate her."

"Her sister, the one in white dress decorated by hundreds of stones, is Somin. The mermaid of Polaria. Before her wedding, she jumped off at the sea by the eastern borders, she was thought to be dead. A month later, she rose back from the sea after his former fiance had gotten married to another omega. She was betrothed to other alphas after that, but all of then were found dead, the night before the wedding. The cause? They died while laughing. I know. What a way to die."

"Either one of them was supposed to be Jeno's bride. You have taken their place so be wary of them."

The two sisters were staring at him with expressions unreadable. It was unclear how they feel about the wedding and it was worrying Renjun. 

He looked back on the right side and he breathed the sigh of relief. If they could not get the support of the Polarians, they would get it from the neighboring kingdoms. 

He glance at the familiar faces. Prince Jaehyun and his Consort, Taeyong was there, smiling encouragingly at Renjun, Chenle was with them, giving him a thumbs up. 

He found the King and King Consort of Icaria. He found Haechan's eyes staring at him and Renjun almost freeze. Then Haechan smiled at him, a sincere one. And Renjun knew, he was forgiven. 

Jeno reached out for his hand as he reached the altar. He smiled at him encouragingly, as if telling him to ignore the murmurs, ignore the judgemental stares, ignore the apparent disgust of the people around them. 

Jeno squeezed his hand to comfort him. Ironically enough, it made him even more nervous. 

Here he was, marrying the King of Polaria. The person he had been afraid of for so long. The person he was still afraid of. He would be King Jeno's. He would be owned by him. He would never be free again. 

He contemplated running away, preferably, with Chenle and Yongqin. Far away from Polaria, far away from King Jeno. 

But where would they go? With the Queen of Paree after their lives, there were no where else to hide. 

He could do it. He could get through with the wedding. He needed to be safe. He needed to make Chenle safe. 

♕♕♕

The fresh wound of Renjun's neck was still hurting. His own blood had dripped through the fabric of the furs, making red bloom on pure white surface. The scent of blood was making him feel nauseous, reminding him of memories he did not even want to think about. 

For other places, The Claiming was usually done in the privacy of the bedroom, after knotting the omega. But Polaria was different. The claiming was done right during the wedding. 

'The omegas had to endure the pain, as it would symbolize that they would endure all the hardship that the marriage would face and would stay with their alpha regardless of how much pain they were feeling. The alphas should drink the blood of the omegas so that they would be a part of them, an extensions of themselves.'

And enduring was what Renjun was doing. He was standing hand in hand with King Jeno as they let the guests congratulate them. There were few who seem sincere, like the knight named Shindong who Renjun was unsure if he cried while saying that Jeno would now have the family he deserved. 

The former King and Queen had already approached them, Jeno's father shaking his son's hand firmly and giving Renjun a tight smile. The former Queen however only sneered at him. 

Chenle had approached his grandparents and affectionately called them as grandma and grandpa. The former King seemed amused but his wife was obviously not. She seemed like she was going to scold Chenle and Renjun had been ready to get himself involved. But, Taeyong and Jaehyun arrived to take Chenle back. Renjun was not able to hear what is was, but Taeyong had surely said something to his mother that made her pale. 

The omega sisters from House Lee had approached them. Jiwoo had offer him a drink, to which he politely declined after remembering Jungwoo's warning. 

The two sisters had shared a look before bursting into laughter. 

"Do not worry, " Somin told him. "You are not her fiance. " The two of them walked away. 

"Ignore them, " King Jeno told him. "They have always been the odd ones."

Haechan and Taeyong along with their mates had also approached them. Chenle was clinging on King Mark's leg. While the said alpha still treated Renjun coldly, he seemed fond of his husband's nephew. His son had certainly found a new favorite uncle, much to Jaehyun's chagrin. He muttered something along the lines of 'King Mark of Icaria stole someone from me.' A very ironic comment coming from him, in Renjun's opinion. He did not voiced it out as the others would probably not find his joke funny. 

Haechan hugged him, tightly. He told Renjun that he forgives him and that he still considers him as a friend. But in return, he should love Jeno, for his brother needed the same love that Haechan and Taeyong's mate had provided for them.

Love Jeno, he said. He was not sure if he could promise that to Haechan. He could promise to be loyal to him, to serve him an omega mate would do to his alpha. But to love him? He wasn't sure he could ever do that. 

♛♛♛

Chenle would probably be scared. It would be the first time that he would sleep without Renjun by his side. But Yongqin would be there for him. He shouldn't be that scared. 

He should not be as scared as Renjun was. 

The Priestess from the Order of Polaria, a big influential cult in the Kingdom had come to him before the wedding. 

She had told Renjun that even of he was not Polarian by birth, he should follow Polarian tradition in order to please the spirit of Polaria, the star who sacrificed itself for the people. 

She said that he had already broken a rule. He should have been pure before the wedding, but he wasn't anymore. And he should not break anymore tradition. 

She said that he should wait on the bed, naked, and offer himself to his alpha because it is in Polaria's will that the omega's should submit to the alpha. 

She said that he should not make any noise on the first night, of protest or of enjoyment. He should not protest because he already agreed to be owned by the alpha, and that his body was not anymore his, but to the alpha. Protesting would mean that you were breaking your oath at the altar. He should not enjoy it because it he was the one offering, he was the one sacrificing. 

The mating should hurt, because only then could it be considered as sacrifice. 

Renjun lied in bed naked, just as he was told. He was waiting for the King of Polaria, Jeno, his now husband to enter the door, finish the mating ritual, and then leave Renjun to deal with his pain and shame on his own. 

The King had been his first back then, on the dark cell where he was imprisoned. He was too far gone in his heat that he never really remember how the sex felt like. The only thing that he remembered was the shame afterwards. The shame of letting himself be fucked by the person who was hurting him. The shame of begging for more. 

He wished that he would also not feel anything tonight. He also wished not to remember what would happen tonight. He wished to salvage his last remaining pride. 

There was no way out. He could not escape his fate anymore. 

Renjun heard the door opened, heavy footsteps walking towards him. He refused to look up but he knew he would eventually, if Jeno would ask him to. 

Be compliant to anything he asked. 

It would be alright, he told himself. After all, he was protecting you and your son. It's just rightful that you pay him in someways, right? Like when Yongqin used to sleep with anybody who would pay him, so that he could provide for both Renjun and himself. If Yongqin could do it for him, Renjun could do it for Chenle. 

The person stopped in front of Renjun and he braced himself. 

Suddenly, he felt the fabric of silk robe being draped on his shoulder. 

He looked up in shock and saw the King of Polaria with his eyes closed. 

"Please wear it, " King Jeno told him, still not opening his eyes. 

Renjun did not know what to do. He did not know how to react. Was the King rejecting him? 

"Your Majesty, the priestess said--"

"What she said was not important," Jeno interrupted. "I have long lost fate in their cult. They were not the voice of Polaria because Polaria was a kind star who would not want to impose rules that would be abusive to some."

Renjun nodded, but he realized that the King would not see him. He hastily put the robe on and tied it securely by the waist. 

The King was confusing him. Ever since meeting him again, he had been a very different person from the one Renjun remembered in the dark cell. He had been kind and considerate, caring even. Renjun was beginning to doubt his memories. 

But they were true. They were real, like the scars on his body. 

"I am dressed now, Your Majesty, " he said. 

Jeno opened his eyes, blue eyes stared back at Renjun's own. 

"Please do not misunderstand. It's not because I do not find you attractive. But if we are going to do it again, if we will ever do it again at all, it would not be because you are being forced or because we are both affected by your heat. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡


	4. Chapter 4

"Do not worry," King Jeno told Renjun, squeezing his hand. "You do not need to talk if you do not want to. You just need to be there. "

Renjun wasn't sure if he was nervous because he would be meeting the members of the council or because the King was holding his hand, again. 

He had not been able to sleep much last night, and it wasn't because of what the Priestess was expecting. 

"Unfortunately, I could not leave the room." The King had told him last night. "The people have expectations on what would happen, what should happen, and me leaving the room would spark rumors. It would put you in an uncomfortable situation. You can take the bed, I'll take the floor."

"No, you cannot, Your Majesty," he exclaimed, unsure if his ears were playing him. "I'll take the floor."

The King shook his head. "I cannot allow you to do that. You are my mate now. I need to take care of you."

Take care of him? It was not part of what they had talk about. They were in Polaria to protect Chenle, their son. Renjun was not his responsibility. 

Yet,the King had always treated him as one. From the moment they were sent to Io, the King was always protecting him even if he was far away.

Renjun was stupefied. He had not known what to do. Wouldn't letting the King of Polaria sleep on the floor be too much? Wouldn't that be over stepping boundaries? 

The King must have understood his dilemma. He sighed. "Do you trust me?"

"Your Majesty?"

"If you trust me not to touch you inappropriately during your sleep, then we can share the bed. If you don't, it's fine, I'll take the floor, you cannot stop me."

That was how they ended up in bed, Renjun had his back turned against the King. He stayed awake most of the night, trying to keep himself on his space. He was careful not to let any part of his body touch the King. It should be easy considering how big the bed was. 

He had lied awake contemplating things. 

'Please do not misunderstand. It's not because I do not find you attractive.'

So his husband found him attractive. He flushed at the thought. Then, he berated himself. He should not feel anything about it other than fear. It the King indeed found him attractive, then there would be a chance that he would not keep his promise, that he could possibly take him by force. 

'But if we are going to do it again, if we will ever do it again at all, it would not be because you are being forced or because we are both affected by your heat.'

Should he believe his words? 

He had promised to send Chenle and him to Io. He had promised to protect them. So far, he kept all of his promises. 

Renjun had no choice anyway, it was too late to doubt. Whether he believed him or not, he was already stuck with him. 

He was pulled out of his thought when they arrived outside the door of the meeting room. He inhaled deeply as he prepare himself to face the members of the council.  
♕♕♕

Renjun kept his head straight as King Jeno told him that keeping his head low would make him look like an easy target. He needed to appear brave. 

Still, he refuse to make eye contact with the members of the council, afraid that they would see through his facade. 

The meeting had been going on for so long, yet all of the issues were not yet resolved. 

There were omegas rebelling against the rules of the Kingdom of Polaria. They were pushing for the abolishment of The Order of Polaria who was responsible for the abuses that they were experiencing. They were pushing for the amendments of several laws such as the absolute power of parents to arrange marriages for them. They wanted to have the freedom to choose who to get married with and when to get married. They were pushing for equal rights. To have an omega representative in the council, and to allow omega to join the soldiers of Polaria if they wanted too. 

The council opposed, contradicting the doctrines of The Order would displease Polaria, they said. Their entire nation would get punished. They moved for the rebelling omegas to be to be seized and be dealt with in accordance to the law, so that the others would learn not to do the same mistake. 

These bastards, Renjun thought. They could not even admit honestly that giving in to those requests would lessen their authority over the omegas in their family. What could he expect from a group of power hungry alphas who loved to assert their authority over omegas who they viewed weaker than them. 

Renjun had been disappointed when King Jeno had moved for the postponement of making his final decision. He had hoped that the King would automatically be in favor of the omegas considering how nice he had been to Renjun so far. But he was wrong. After all, his husband was still an alpha. 

There was another issue about the village near the North West Wall of Polaria. It was mostly inhabited by the poorest families in Polaria as the nobles refused to live in a place that is most susceptible to attacks from the outside forces. 

Outside the North West Wall was the sea that would lead to Old Pandor, which was only a few miles away. During the First War against Pandor centuries ago, the Pandoran warriors had invaded Polarian territory easily through that route. It took the allied forces of the other kingdoms to drive them off. The war ended with Old Pandor being in ruins, and the Royal family evacuating to the center of the Western Continent, now known as New Pandor. 

The people on the said village were suffering greatly. They used to survive through farming on one of the few miraculously fertile land in Polaria, the base of Mt. Niebe. But, The Order had claimed the land for themselves, saying it was the will of Polaria for them to claim the land. 

With no other option as means of survival, they were suffering from hunger. A lot of the people, the children especially, were falling ill.

"Then the Kingdom shall send support for them." Jeno decided. 

"I do not think that it would be a good idea, Your Majesty, " one member of the council voiced his disagreement. "It would mean that the funds that should be used by the noble's for their... Endeavours would diminish immensely. As you may have observed, a lot of noble families, including those with close ties to House Lee were not pleased with your decision of marrying an outsider, not to mention, a--"

"Watch your tongue Lord Kim." The King interrupted him, not allowing the colorful adjective that the lord would like to mutter.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Lord Kim apologized half-heartedly. "They were already displeased with your marriage and diminishing the funds allocated to their endeavors, such as improving the field of medicine and researching the mining for the bloodstones in the East, would greatly make you out of their favor."

By nobles, he meant their families, by endeavors, he meant personal interests. 

Renjun was getting frustrated. 

When they were in Sayara, Lele died because of hunger. The people around them had nothing to spare for them, they had nothing at all. But this people, this people who were supposed to be taking care of all the citizens of Polaria had more than enough for themselves, they had more to spare, yet they wanted to withhold the fundings that would save children from dying. 

"Bastards, " he accidentally muttered loudly for everyone to hear. 

The members of the council gasped. 

"Your Majesty, the Consort has forgotten his manners. He needed to be punished. " One member of the council suggested, and some of the others agreed. 

Renjun turned to the King warily, afraid of the repercussion of his outburst. 

The King was looking at him, in shocked before painting his face with a stoic expression that made Renjun scared. 

"You seemed to have a lot of things to say, " He said to Renjun. 

Renjun shook his head. He made a mistake. He should not have let his emotions take over him. He should have behaved like the proper omega the people, his husband, expected him to be.

"You do not understand, don't you, " the King addressed him again. "If you have something to say, say it now, or be prepare for your punishment."

Renjun stared at the King, silently begging for mercy. But there was something in the King's eyes. It wasn't anger. He was trying to convince Renjun to speak. He was trying to assure him that he would be protected no matter what.

He turned back to the members of the council, they were staring at him, anticipating him to make a mistake. He turned back to the King and the latter nodded at him encouragingly. 

Renjun gulped before speaking. 

"The King is not just the King of the rich. He is the King of everyone in Polaria, which includes the people on the North West village. Their lives is important, " there were a lot of murmurs of disagreement in the councils, some mocking Renjun for speaking up for he did not know anything. He turned to the King again, who was waiting for him to continue. "If we don't send help to them, they will die. The nobles will survive no matter what. Life is more important than appeasing people who are only after protecting their interest. "

"You're Majesty, you cannot possibly listen to him! He does not know what he was talking about!"

"Doesn't he?" Jeno asked them. "As far as I know, the fundings for the fields concerned had been provided already. I do not see why they would need more. I will order an investigation to secure that all the fundings are going straight to where they should be, and not into the pockets of some. " There were loud gasps elicited from the accusation. 

"We will send aid to the people on the North West because they are our people as well. And The Order,"

"You cannot touch The Order, Your Majesty! "

"I can, " King Jeno insisted. "The Order needed to vacate the base of Mt. Niebe. Polaria sacrificed her own life to save her people. There's no way that she would desire the sufferings of many just for the welfare of the few. She is not selective. "

The members of the councils left, visibly dissatisfied with the decision. Some sent Renjun a subtle glare, silently blaming him for what happened. 

Renjun just stood there, the temporary confidence instantly leaving his body. 

The door closed as the last member left the room. 

Renjun let out the breath that he was holding. 

The King came to him to pat his back, but the nervousness inside his body had not left yet. He flinched. The King retreated, like he always do whenever Renjun felt threatened by him. 

The door opened again and in came Chenle, who immediately freed himself from Yongqin's grasp. 

"Appa! " he called Renjun, running towards him. 

Renjun sunk to the ground to receive him. 

Chenle immediately wrapped his arms around Renjun's neck. "You cold, Appa? You're shaking. "

"He's fine, Chenle, " The King answered for him, somehow he could hear him smile. "He did really well. He did great."  
♛♛♛

Yongqin was helping him dress up, and while Renjun prided himself of being independent, he really needed help. 

He wasn't a Polarian, it wasn't in his nature to endure the cold. He needed to wear layers and layers of clothes or else he would freeze to death even before The Red Queen could kill him. 

But he needed to dress up well. He was a Consort to the King. He should not look like he just wrapped himself in random fabric and walk around the palace like a thick rug. He would become a joke, even though he knew he was already a joke to most of them. 

It was supposed to be Jungwoo who was helping him. He was more comfortable of leaving Chenle to his uncle. However, they needed to switch, as there were something that Renjun was not willing to show Jungwoo. 

Yongqin sighed as he stripped the last layer of clothing. "One day, Chenle would ask where you get these scars. He would find out it was from his Papa and he would be angry. "

"I do not have plans of telling him, " Renjun said, trying to wear a new inner layer, feeling self conscious of his scars all of a sudden. 

"So you are protecting your husband now, " Yongqin said, he did not need to look at him. He could feel his judging stare. "What, you're a happy family now? Did you start making more Chenles on your first night? "

He glared at his brother. "I am protecting Chenle. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. And no, there will be no other Chenles. Nothing happened on our first night. "

"What, he got turned off by the scars he put on your body? "

"Not all of them were from him, " he reiterated. "There were scars from my master and mistress in Icaria. He said he didn't want to force me. "

Yongqin snorted, "You believe him? Didn't he forced you back then? Isn't that why we have a Chenle now? "

"For God's sake Yongqin, he did not force me, how many times do I have to tell you? "

He had just wore the third layer, and he was already warming up, he usually needed five. He figure it was the annoyance. 

Yongqin had always assumed that The King raped him and Chenle was the result. But it was far from the truth. 

"I was in heat, and I begged him. He is an alpha, he was affected as much as I was. That was how Chenle came to be. You have no idea how embarrassing it is to repeat this over and over again! "

Yongqin remained quiet and helped him finish dressing up. 

"It would be easier to think like that so I could continue to hate your husband. " 

"Isn't that what your doing to the Icarian knight who's pursuing you? Painting a bad picture of him so that you can help yourself from falling for him? " Renjun shot back. 

It was the Icarian Knight who brought Yongqin to Io, and Renjun knew that there was something more to them than Yongqin would like to acknowledge. 

"We are not talking about him, Renjun."

"I don't see why we can't, " he said. Yongqin riled him up so much that he wanted him to be annoyed as well. 

"Because, " he said, "I have other duties to attend to. I need to return to your son, Your Grace. "

With that, his brother left. 

♔♔♔

"What happened to her?" Renjun asked. He was being escorted by Yukhei and Jungwoo back to his and the King's chamber, when they stumbled upon Lady Jiwoo kneeling on the Palace Ground, with a sign reading as 'sinner' hanging around her neck. The members of The Order were surrounding her. 

"She is being punished, " Jungwoo answered. "She was caught practicing the art of swordsmanship last night. It is illegal in the Laws of Polaria, for an omega to hold any form of weapon, and it is a grave sin in the doctrines of The Order." He scoffed before adding, "I call bullshit."

Jungwoo himself, who was an assassin, a not typical omega who was skilled with handling swords and perhaps other weapons as well, had to act like a docile omega servant inside the Polarian land. If he wanted to take refuge here for he betrayed the Queen of Paree, he needed to obey the rules. 

"Be careful, " Yukhei warned the omega. "They would not be as kind to you as they are to Lady Jiwoo. I heard that the others who are not from influential houses are imprisoned."

Imprisoned? But the King himself had not ordered for their imprisonment. As far as Renjun remembered, they pushed back the decision making for another day. 

"Do you have the time to stare and gossip, Your Grace?"

Lady Somin strode elegantly towards them, long white dress moving elegantly as she walked. Her blonde hair was tied up in a loose bun with stray strands cascading on her hair. Very elegant. She would have made a lovely queen, Renjun thought. 

The Lady stopped in front of Renjun and bowed courteously. 

Renjun did not know how to respond. Should he deny the accusation? They were not really gossiping. Renjun was just curious. 

"The charmer, the manipulator, the seducer, " Lady Somin enumerated in front of him, Renjun did not know what she was talking about. 

Lady Somin smiled. "The birds around the palace are being loud, how come the words have not reached you yet? You've made quite a reputation, Your Grace. The noble houses are not pleased by the King's decision, and they are pinning the blame on you. You have made quite a lot of enemies. You need to be careful."

"Do I need to be careful of you, Lady Somin? "Renjun asked. 

"What do you think, Your Grace?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡
> 
> I tried to proof read my works, but I remembered doing and reviewing this chapter late at night, so feel free to tell me if you see some errors, thank you!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Renjun was running away with Chenle wrapped around his arms securely. He did not know how it happened, how things started, but he needed to get away. He needed to take Chenle to safety. 

But where? Renjun did not know where to go. Everything was white, he was not sure about the direction he was heading. 

He suddenly halted when a figured emerged in front of him, and he tried to back away. But, there was a person behind him as well. 

With Lady Jiwoo in front of him, wielding a sword in her hand and with Lady Somin and her guards behind him, Renjun had nowhere else to run to. 

He screamed. 

Renjun woke up sweaty amidst the cold weather in Polaria. He was breathing shallow breaths and his heart was beating fast. 

The other day, he had asked Lady Somin if she was one of the enemies. She however returned a question back to him. 

'What do you think? '

Frankly, Renjun wasn't sure what to think anymore. With many people voicing out their clear displeasure for Renjun's and Chenle's presence in Polaria, he began questioning whether it was really a good idea to return or marry the King. 

Renjun buried his nose on the mattress of the bed, willing sleep to visit him again. 

The mattress was warm. Warmer than Renjun remembered it to be. 

Renjun slowly moved away and sat up on the bed. 

Then he wanted to smack himself. 

He was not lying face down on the mattress. He was lying on top of the King's body. 

"I should have made you promise, as well, not to touch me in my sleep." The King spoke. 

Renjun redded in embarassment. "I apologize, Your Majesty." 

King Jeno chuckled. "It's understandable. You are not a child of snow and Polaria is too cold for you. You should try to wear something warmer when you sleep next time. "

♕♕♕

"You look dead, " Renjun commented as his brother enter the room to help him dress. He was pale and there were dark circle under his eyes. 

"Well, thank you, Your Grace, " his brother said sarcastically. "You don't look bad yourself. "

"Have you not been sleeping? " he asked worriedly, feeling kind enough not to rise to the sarcasm. 

"Sleep?" His brother asked. "Oh, you mean that vulnerable state where you can't defend yourself? Haven't heard of that in a while. "

"Does The Order still want to burn you alive on a cross?" The order had been after his brother's head for an entire month now. They said that his brother was a sinner, for he slept with hundreds of men. They said that he would cause disaster to their land, if he would not be punished to death to appease Polaria. 

But, Renjun knew what they were really doing. They were trying to eliminate his allies, one by one, so that there would be no one left to defend Chenle and him. The King assured him that no one could touch his brother. 

"That, and those alpha assholes of The Council who wanted to sleep with me. "

"You didn't, right? " he asked. 

"Well, I could use some golds or copper. "

He glared at his brother. 

"Okay, bad joke, " Yongqin raised his hand in defeat. "I did not. I stopped doing that long ago when I reached Io. "

"You look like you're not getting sleep at all, as well," Yongqin tried to change the topic. "Was your husband the reason why? "

"Again, nothing is happening between the two of us! " He insisted. 

"I never said sex, it could be because he was snoring! "

He blushed and glared at his brother again. "You're not the only one who has a sword dangling on a thin thread, threatening to fall onto your head. "

There were mysterious ships lurking around Polaria's territory, and he was quite sure they were sent by the Red Queen. He had been receiving this mysterious notes, telling him to be wary of the the Mad Queen and he was sure that whoever it was, he was referring to Jeongyeon. 

On top of that, he had made The Order and The Council his enemy. 

With inner and outer forces wanting to harm him and his son, Renjun would not have the luxury to sleep peacefully at night. 

"I feel like this is a weird thing to say, " Yongqin said. "But I guess we just needed to trust your husband. "

♕♕♕

If there was one thing that Renjun hated when he became King Consort, it was the less amount of time that he could spend with Chenle. He wasn't just a Consort by title. He should also play the part. 

Good thing that today's Consort task involved the participation of the prince. They were going to the North West village, a month after the supposed aid to them was sent, to verify whether the help was already received by the people. It wasn't really a job for a King, but he could not trust any of the members of The Council with them. They were being escorted by several knights, including Yukhei and Guanheng. Jungwoo and Yongqin were also trailing behind them. 

King Jeno had been lenient to allow Chenle to alternately sit on their lap, instead of on his own seat in the carriage. 

"Then, uncle Mark said that when I grow up, I could come to Icaria, and meet Jisung, his son, my cousin, only if you'd let me, he said," Chenle stared at Renjun from where he was half lying on him and half on the King's lap. "Would you let me, Appa?"

He eyed the King questioningly before turning back to Chenle. "You have to ask the King. "

"Papa, " Chenle clutched on the King's clothes in order to sit up, King Jeno, supporting him with his hands, "Would you let me, Papa?"

King Jeno acted like he was thinking, only to tease his son. Then he nodded. "But only when you're big."

"How big? "

"As big as Papa."

Chenle whined. "That would be too long."

"Because Papa wants you to be with him before you grow up. Don't you like Papa? "

Chenle shook his head. "I like Papa. I love Papa. " Then he turned to Renjun. "I love Appa, too."

Chenle paused for a bit before turning to back to him. "Do you love Papa, too, Appa?"

Renjun was saved from the awkward conversation, when the horses suddenly halted. Renjun and Chenle almost fell from their seat, had it not been for King Jeno holding them with his strong arms. 

There were a lot of ruckus outside and Renjun tried to take a peak. 

A Knight was holding a child up through his collar, while a woman, who appeared to be the mother, was begging him to return his child. 

Renjun stepped out of the carriage, despite the King trying to hold him back. 

"What's the problem? "he asked. 

"Your Grace, get back inside, " The Knight told him. 

"Your Grace was asking you a question, " The King said as he followed Renjun out, with Chenle in his arms. 

"The child approached the horses which caused us to halt, Your Majesty. He could be someone sent to try and harm you. "

"He is but a child! "Renjun exclaimed. The child did not even look a year older than Chenle. How could he even pose as a threat? 

The mother tried to get close to them but she was hindered by the guards. She kneeled to the ground. 

"Your Majesty, Your Grace, please, " she clasped his hands together. "My son was just fascinated with your carriage. He dreamed of riding one, one day. I'm sorry, I wasn't able to hold him back. Please punish me. Just punish me, not my child. "

Renjun's heart went to the mother. He knew how it felt like to be begging for your child's life. He had been there once. 

He looked at the King, trying to plead with him using his eyes. 

Before Renjun could even speak, Chenle beat him to it. 

"Then he should ride the carriage with us, right Papa?"

♛♛♛

Renjun winced as Lele continued to cry as Yongqin smack him from behind. 

He looked at the empty basket of food. When he and Yongqin left to beg for more, they were sure that there was a piece of bread there, something that would be divided among the three of them, if their begging ended up fruitless. 

"Because of you, there will be no food for us tonight! " Yongqin scolded and delivered another smack to Lele's behind. 

There had been another child who had come across their humble hut, asking for left overs. The said child had not eaten in days, so Lele pitied him and gave him their only food.

"We will not eat for tonight, but he had not eaten in days!" Lele reasoned.

"We could not even find enough food for us, why would you even be concern with other people?" Yongqin exclaimed.

"Only kindness is free in Sayara," Lele reasoned again. "It's the only thing we can afford to give."

Yongqin walked out furiously, probably to try and find food again.

Renjun stayed behind to comfort Lele. Even then, he knew he was special. 

So special that heaven took him way too early.  
♔♔♔

Maybe, like Lele, Chenle was also special. 

Renjun watched Chenle from afar as he played with the children of the North West Village, Yongqin and Guanheng trailing behind them. Back in Io, when the threat to their life was not yet apparent, he was able to do the same. He would play with anyone. Nobles or commoners. He was a very loving child. For a while, Renjun had been worried that Chenle would be sad, just staying inside his room in the palace. He was glad that Chenle found some friends in the North West Village. 

The King was talking with the elders, asking them more about the problems in the Village, that had never reached the Palace. 

Renjun was left on his own, Jungwoo and Yukhei staying close to him. 

A while ago, some omegas had approached him. Words traveled that it was him who influenced the King's decision to help them. While the people in the Palace hated him for it, the people of the North West were grateful to him. 

They said that most of them, especially the children and the old would have died had the help not arrived on time. 

And perhaps, their gratefulness had made Renjun forget the dread of making the majority of influential families his enemy. 

Sir Shindong strode towards him, carrying an already sleeping Chenle in his arms. A very tired Guanheng and Yongqin following him. 

"Forgive me, Your Grace, " the Knight told him. "I could not keep myself from carrying the Prince he is so adorable. "

Renjun smiled at the knight. He was one of the few people in the Palace who were very kind to them. "It's alright, Sir Shindong. I'm glad to see that there are more people who genuinely cares for my child."

"Oh he is very adorable. He was very much like his father back then. "

"You mean, King Jeno? " Renjun asked. 

Sir Shindong nodded. "King Jeno, Prince Haechan, Prince Taeyong, they used to be very bright kids. They would interact with anyone regardless of their social status. Prince Taeyong though, he was not anymore allowed outside the Palace, after The Order predicted him to present as an omega. Prince Haechan wasn't able to leave much because he was sickly. Prince Jeno was the one who would always travel outside the Palace, with yours truly as his personal guard. And he was a very bright prince. Until one day, he wasn't anymore. I don't know how it happened. He suddenly turned cold. You cannot imagine my shock during the Battle of Sayara. He was ruthless. Merciless. I wasn't sure if he was still the same Prince that I watched grew up in front of my eyes. But then you came, Chenle came. Eversince he sent the two of you to Io, I saw him changed. He wasn't anymore the kind of King who would turn a blind eye on what the nobles have been doing, just to please them. Just so he could stay in power. Now I could see him. I could see him coming back, slowly. Back to the young prince I once knew."

Sir Shindong wiped a stray tear with his finger, "Forgive me, Your Grace, for saying too much and for being emotional. "

"It's okay," he said as Sir Shindong transfer Chenle to his arms. 

Frankly, he wasn't sure what to feel about what he heard. 

The more that he knew about the King's past, the more that he spend time with him, the more blurry the image of his husband inside his mind became. The image that he painted when he was still inside the dark cell was getting smudged. Unclear. Unrecognisable. 

The King was back and was slowly walking towards them, his very own trusted knights following him. 

Renjun stared at him. He wasn't anymore sure how to view him. 

A villain who torments people to achieve what he wanted, or a hero who was saving people, like the people of the North West, like Yongqin, like Renjun and Chenle. 

The King's facial expression suddenly changed from neutral to panicked. He saw someone from afar. He was mouthing something to Renjun, but he could not understand a thing. He was too busy with his thoughts. 

The King ran towards him, his Knights following him. Every one was in chaos. The people of the village were retreating back to their homes. The knights were looking towards different directions. 

Nothing was making sense to Renjun. 

Suddenly, the King was hugging him, pressing his head to his chest, Chenle's small body in between them. 

"Don't move, " the King told him. "No matter what happens, don't move."

There were screaming everywhere. Renjun looked up to catch a glimpse of the King. 

Red.

Blood was dripping from his husband mouth. 

"Do not be afraid," the King whispered before collapsing down on the ground. 

Renjun screamed in terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡


	6. Chapter 6

"I do not see the reason why you would not leave with us! " Yongqin exclaimed at him. 

"I cannot leave him. He saved our life, " Renjun argued back. 

Jeno took the poisoned arrows that were meant for Chenle and him. There were too many of them, coming from different directions. The knights were able to catch the assassins, but the damage had been done. 

"You are not safe in Polaria," Yongqin explained. 

The assassin were not from Paree, that was what Shindong said. It was impossible for them to enter the walls of Polaria without alerting the soldiers. There was no breach to the wall. 

Which could only mean one thing. The enemy was from the inside. 

Jungwoo was caught by the guards, and was imprisoned for breaking the law against the use of arms for omegas. Regardless if he did it to help the royal family, they still wanted him to be punished. 

Yukhei was heavily injured for fighting off the guards, who were arresting Jungwoo. 

They were running out of allies. 

"Come with us. Sir Shindong already arranged for a ship to take us to Icaria. Please, I beg you," Yongqin pleaded. "I'm afraid that if I lose you now, I will not see you again. "

He shook his head. He looked at the King. His husband. His mate for life. "I'm bound to him. We are mates. I cannot leave him. "

"You do not even love him, Renjun! "

"I don't know love, aside from what I feel for you and for Chenle. But I trust him. I trust him now. I will not leave him. "

"If something happen to you, Chenle--"

"If something ever happen to me, " he swallowed the lump that was forming on his throat. "Take care of Chenle. Take care of him like he is your own. Love him. "

"You don't even need to ask, " Yongqin look at him the same way that he did back in Sayara. When he was seventeen and Renjun was sixteen. When they would part ways with no assurance to ever meet again. 

Renjun smiled. "Leave. Take Guanheng with you. He will keep the two of you safe. "

Yongqin hugged him one last time. "I love you. "

"I love you, too. "

Renjun waited until the door closed behind his brother, before letting his tears fall and letting the sobs escape his lips. 

He turned to his husband, who was still unconsciously lying on his back. The blood were still seeping through the bandages on his torso. 

He kneeled on front of bed. He touched the hollows of his cheeks, the pale and cracked lips. 

"This isn't you, " he whispered. "This isn't the you that I know. You are strong. You are the one who was supposed to be pressing your opponents on the ground. You are not supposed to be the one defeated. "

"This isn't you. But, the you that I know of, the you that I have been scared of was slowly being melted away in my memories. It was being replaced by someone else. The you that keeps his promises. The you who protects. The you who cares. 

"And maybe I like this you. And maybe I want to more of this you. So, please survive. Survive for Chenle. Survive for me. 

"You promised to keep us safe. You have to fulfill that. Please. Wake up. "

But Jeno never responded. He remained silent. He remained motionless. 

And Renjun cried. He cried so hard that he wasn't able to hear the door creaking open. 

"What a touching moment for the King and his Consort. "

Renjun turned to see the intruders. 

His heart got caught in his throat. Standing inside the room were the sisters, Lady Jiwoo and Lady Somin. Both with a sword in hand. 

"Too bad, " Jiwoo smirked. "We needed to interrupt. "

♚♚♚

"So it was you, after all, " Renjun said bitterly. He sat on the bed, shielding his sleeping husband with his body. 

Their room was filled with guards, who had switch their loyalty to the enemy. 

In front of all of them was a woman, an omega. Someone who had always harbored hatred towards Renjun and Chenle. 

Long platinum hair was flowing onto the woman's shoulders. Blue eyes were staring at Renjun triumphantly. Thinning lips smiled cruelly at him. 

"How could you do it to your own son? "

"He brought it upon himself. " The King's mother answered. "The arrows were for you and for his bastard son. "

"Chenle is not his bastard for I am his husband. " He answered proudly. 

"He will forever be nothing but a bastard for me! " The former queen screamed. 

"I see, " Renjun whispered. "You really do hate us so much. "

"I despise you. I despise your very existence. Because of you, my son has changed! He was the only one who wasn't a failure among my sons, but you made him one. Ever since you came, he was not anymore how he was supposed to be! "

"Like what? " Renjun asked. "A cold blooded ruler? A puppet to the nobles? "

"Like how a king like him should be. You! You are changing the norms of Polaria! Who do you think you are? "

"A nobody, " he answered. "A nobody you are wasting all of your time to kill. How did you even manage to organize this? An omega like you have no such power. "

"I am not alone, " the queen smirked. "There are people from the council who are with me. They really hate you so much. "

"Just them? "

"The Order. You are a threat to them. "

"I see, the false prophets also want me dead. "He nodded. "Why would an omega like you even ally with people, who's doctrines are oppressive to omegas? "

"Why shouldn't I? " The queen chuckled bitterly. "It was obvious that The Order is a false religion. I have known for so long that they were being controlled by those self-centered alphas and betas, who wanted their omegas pliant. But I have been subjected to their rules. I have been married off against my will. I was stripped of my right to pick who I wanted to be. And then suddenly, these new generations of omegas are asking for a different treatment? " she gritted her teeth. "What makes them so special?"

"They are brave, " He answered confidently. "They are brave to revolt against a system who have long been oppressive to them. They were brave to swim against the current, and not let the waves take them to where they were expected to be. They were forced to be. It's liberation. "

"It's unfair! " the former queen spat. Then she laughed hysterically. "Why am I even answering your questions, you peasant? " She motioned for the guards to grab him. 

Renjun struggled against their grip. 

"What are you going to do to the King? "

"Oh, he will be safe, " the woman shushed him. "He is still my son. I bargained for his life. He would be imprisoned for the rest of his life, to allow for a new alpha to claim the throne. "

"I see."

The former queen's eyes grew wide as she heard the voice. The guard that were holding Renjun were also taken aback. Their hold on him loosen up, that allowed him to escape and return to his husband. 

Jeno sat up slowly with Renjun guiding him. 

"You, " Jeno's mother pointed at them. "Were the two of you just acting all along? "

"Indeed mother, " The King answered. "And I heard it all. I, the King of Polaria, is hereby issuing an order for you, the members of The Order, the members of the council and all your subordinates to be sent to trial for the crime of treason. "

She laughed hysterically again. "Can't you see son? " she pointed at the guards. "It's over. You are outnumbered! You lose. "

"Do not be so sure about that! " a female voice suddenly interrupted. 

Several warriors who were hidden from different parts of the room emerged. Two of them were Lady Somin and Jiwoo. The sneak attack effectively took the former queen's guards by surprise, instantly defeating them. 

"Omegas!" The former queen exclaimed. "You cannot do this Jeno. It's against the law! "

"Not anymore, " Jeno answered. "It's over mother. You lose. "

♛♛♛

Lady Jiwoo shook the liquid from vial. 

"Sorry for barging in, but I needed to make the King drink this! "

"I will not let you! " Renjun pushed himself in front of his husband's body. 

The two sisters looked at each other before laughing. Both of them stepped forward. 

"Go ahead and try, " Lady Somin told him. 

Renjun was useless against Somin, he couldn't get away from her grasp. He watched helplessly as Jiwoo forced the liquid down his husband's throat. 

Somin released him once the vial was empty. He quickly rushed back to his husband's side. 

"What did you do to him? " He accused. 

"I healed him! " Jiwoo chuckled. 

Renjun watched as Jeno coughed awake and slowly gain consciousness. 

"How did you--"

"Easy, " Jiwoo answered. "If you are prohibited of using arms, then you resorted to other method to protect yourself. How do you think I killed all my former fiance's? Plants are amazing. They could either heal or kill."

Jeno slowly opened his eyes. 

"Your Majesty, " Renjun whispered. "Can you see me? "

"Renjun, " his husband called his name in recognition. 

The sisters cough. 

"Hi, " Jiwoo said. "Were here, too. "

Renjun and Jeno turned to them. 

"What do you want? " Jeno asked them. 

"Actually, " Somin answered. "It's you who needed something from us. "

"The knights and soldiers who remained loyal to you were tricked to go to the North West boarder for a fake Paree attack, leaving no one to defend you from the traitors. " Jiwoo said. 

"And by the way, the ship that was supposed to carry your child and your brother to Icaria sunk to the ocean before they could even board." Renjun almost cried in fear. "But they were saved by Somin's friends so no worries. "

Renjun sighed in relief. He wasn't sure if there would still be enough will for him to live, if anything happened to Chenle and Yongqin. 

"The traitors would be here soon, " Somin said. "We have a group of warriors who could help you but, "

"Sadly, " Jiwoo answered. "Omegas using weapons are prohibited by the Polarian law. "

"I see, " Jeno nodded in understanding. "Then I, Jeno, the King of Polaria, hereby declared that the prohibition for omegas to weild weapons be eternally lifted."

The two sisters smiled and looked at each other. They kneeled.

"We are happy to serve, Your Majesty."

♛♛♛

Renjun began breathing regularly. It's over. They survived. 

The omega warrior were able to subdue everyone who took part in the coup. 

The remaining knights and soldiers, who remained loyal to the King were recalled from the North West wall, and were shock to find their comrades had betrayed the King.

Yongqin, Chenle, Guanheng and Shindong returned soon after, trailed behind by one eyed, blue skinned creatures with long slimy hair. After deeming their ward safe, they moved towards Lady Somin's side. 

"The Discarded ones," Jeno whispered to him. "I wasn't sure they were real. Legends say that once, Polaria was plagued by a curse, that all the children that were born on that period appeared to be disfigured. Their parents threw them in ocean to die, but they evolved in order to survive a life underwater. Rumor has it that they come to land once in a while to kill a victim, by tickling them to death. Now I know what happened to Somin's fiance. "

The trial came soon after a day. The former queen, The Order, and some members of The Council, were all determined guilty of treason, and were sentenced to be exiled to far away land, because according to Jeno, taking their lives would lead to more blood shed in Polaria in future. Too much anger and desire for vengeance would destroy all of them one day.

Jeno's father, despite being innocent to her wife's plots requested to be allowed to join the exiled. He said that he failed to be good king. That he failed to be a good father. That maybe, it wasn't too late to be a good mate. 

And maybe, before they parted ways, the strained relationship between father and son were repaired, even just a bit. 

Renjun wished he could say the same between Jeno and his mother. The gap between them widened. The mother was still rooted to the past, and was afraid to move forward. She was afraid of changes. She was too selfish to not allow the others to break free from the shackles, the very shackles that held her firmly. Controlling, Restricting. 

Jeno was different. He was changing. He was changing in a pace that was making Renjun feel that he was caught in a whirlwind. He wasn't afraid to open new doors. He wasn't afraid to break down the walls that had been there since the beginning of time. 

Maybe, just maybe. He was beginning to trust him completely. 

♛♛♛

"They will scar, Your Majesty, " Renjun said, referring to the wounds created by the arrows that pierced through the King's skin. He was helping him change the bandage. 

"Indeed, it will, " Jeno replied. "But it will be nothing compared to yours. "

Renjun moved away to leave, not wanting to take part in the conversation. 

They had never talked about what happened before, ever since they met again. Frankly, he was dreading the conversation. The less that they talk about it, the easier he could pretend that it didn't happen. The easier he could be happy with being with him. 

But, with the tension in palace finally resolved, with no more distractions, he knew it was going to come one day. 

But if he could delay it, he would try. 

The King caught his wrist, before he could even leave. 

"We need to talk, " his husband told him. 

Renjun sat back down, defeatedly. 

"Do you remember when you asked me, before leaving to Io, if I had forgiven you? "

"You said that we are the same. And that you are in no position to judge me. "

"Indeed, " Jeno affirmed. "But I did not ask you the same. Do you know why? "

He shook his head. 

"Because I wanted you to say that you do. But, I also knew that you shouldn't. What I did to you was too much. "

"I almost killed your brother. " he reasoned. Then he felt pathetic for rationalizing the torment he had been subjected to. 

"Still, too much. It wasn't something that you should forgive easily. Even when I set you free. Even when I let you live. "

"If we forget things, then there is nothing to forgive. "

It was the easiest way. He could live peacefully, having no fear to feel for his husband. 

"Can you really just forget that, or you're just going to pretend to forget? "

Renjun refused to answer. 

"Because I can't ," Jeno said. "I can't just forget about that. "

"If I don't forget about that, I will be confused, " he reasoned again. "I would not know who the real Jeno was. "

"I see, " Jeno nodded. "They are both me. "

His husband smiled bitterly. "You cannot just pick one and pretend the other never existed. "

"The person you met on the dark cell was me. The person whose hand signaled for when you should be subjected to pain was me. The person who kicked you in the face and sent you sprawling to the floor was me. He was the me who was hypocrite to hate the unfair system in Polaria, but allowed himself to be sucked inby the system, so that he could be King. So that he could protect the person he love. He was a person who was brave in front of his opponents, but was a coward to try and make a change. "

"What happened?" Renjun asked. "If he was you, then why can't I see him now? "

"You happened, " the King answered. "Chenle happened. "

Renjun laughed forcefully. "Are you saying you fell in love?"

The King laughed with him. "Love you say? This isn't a romantic love affair. We aren't the King and King Consort of Icaria, nor are we the Crowned Prince and Prince Consort of Io. "

Renjun nodded in agreement. 

"But what I said was the truth. You happened. You love your own brother as much as I love Haechan. You love him too much, that you were willing to die just so he could be safe. And we are the same. But I decided that I needed power to be able to protect him. So I desired for it and turned myself to be like the very people I hate. But you, you don't need power. You could protect your brother even when you had nothing at all. And I realized that I was doing it wrong. 

"Then Chenle came. I don't want him to grow up like me. I do not want to be the kind of father that my father was to me. 

"And you are right, " the King continued. "You are right about wanting to forget about it. If I have a choice, I would want us to meet in a different circumstances. So that we can be like Haechan and Mark, Taeyong and Jaehyun. I could be a good father like how Mark is to Jisung, without having to worry that the love and respect that Chenle has for me right now would disappear, once he found out what I did to you. But we couldn't change how thing were, right? "

Renjun nodded, letting the tears fall from his eyes. He was right. Pretending that the things were not the way they were would not make his delusions a reality. 

"I had not asked you then because I was afraid, but I will ask you now. Do you forgive me? Do you completely forgive me? "

Renjun shook his head. He was ashamed. He was ashamed that after all that Jeno did for him, for them, he still have inhibitions to forgive him. 

"I see, " Jeno smile bitterly. "Thank you for your honesty. "

Jeno began to walk away. "I need to have a meeting with what is left of The Council. Just stay here and rest. You had a long week. "

"In the future, " Renjun spoke before the King could close the door behind him. "Not yet now, but in the future. I believe I can forgive you. "

Jeno turned back to him. "Do not force yourself to. "

Renjun shook his head. 

"I want to, " Renjun insisted. "I want to forgive you. Genuinely. Completely. Do you think, you can wait for that? "

Jeno's worried expression turned into a smile. "Do not rush. I can wait for long. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We do not kill main characters in this household.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, thank you. Tales of Kings started out as being a product of my wild imagination and personal insecurities. 
> 
> Damage Control was about my feelings about not fitting the standard of beauty that even when there were people who were telling me that I am, I found it hard to believe I am, but I am okay now because there are people in my life who are like Mark and Jeno to Haechan. 
> 
> Frozen Heart is about bullying. After being bullied as a child, I ended up being a bully as well so that I can protect myself and my friends. It ended once there were people who showed me that it's not the only way to survive. 
> 
> Walking on Ice was about being the favorite child by my family, teachers and friends, until one day, I am not anymore anyone's favorite because I was failing their standards. But, it's okay, there are people like Jaehyun to Taeyong, who loves me flaws and all. 
> 
> Melting point simply started with me wanting to give Jeno a chance as much as people gave me a chance, but it ended with so many different things such as breaking social norms. 
> 
> Again, thank you so much, and if ever you are facing those issues as well, don't worry. We are good, we are beautiful.

Renjun watched as ten years old Chenle spar with a younger nine years old Jisung, the Prince of Icaria. 

They were under the supervision of Guanheng, Chenle's personal knight, and Sir Shindong who was visibly amused at the next generation royalties. 

"An alpha, " the person beside him said. 

"An omega, " he answered back. 

The person beside him chuckled. "It would be funny if in the end, after betting for a long time, Chenle presents as a beta. "

"You wouldn't like that, Your Majesty, right? " He turned to the person beside him. His husband. 

Jeno furrowed his eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I? He is my son, alpha, beta or omega. "

"Right, " Renjun answered. He let his eyes wander around the palace and admire the changes that happened for the last seven years. 

There were a variation of guards who were patrolling in the palace. The once group of purely alphas and betas were now joined by a number of omegas. 

There were no discrimination at all between them. The omegas were treated with as much respect as the two other subgenders. 

A lot of things changed since the amendments of several laws took place. 

Omegas were now free to join the royal army or to take up any occupation that they want. The absolute power that was vested on the parents, to decide on the marriage of their omega child, was taken away from them. Thus, omegas now have the right to get married when they wanted to, to whom they wanted to, or to get married at all, much to the delight of Somin and Jiwoo. 

Speaking of the two, they confessed to the murder of their former fiances and were rightfully 'punished' for it. Jiwoo had been knighted among other omegas, including Jungwoo who now Renjun's personal Knight. For her crime, she had been 'sentenced' to join the guards outside the North West Wall, an adventurous dream that she had since she was a child. 

In Somin's case, it was The Discarded Ones who were pinned for the murders, hence, they were 'sentenced' of servitude to the Kingdom of Polaria, allowing them to roam freely on the land that they were droved away from, once. 

Somin was now the Head of The Council, which is composed of the people who remained loyal to Jeno, a few other omegas, Shindong, who was replaced by Yukhei as Jeno's personal knight, and representative from other sectors of Polaria, including that of the North West Village. That way, it was easy to ensure that welfare of the entire Polarian population was taken care of. 

The people were now accepting the changes. Wholeheartedly. Sure, at first they were met with a lot of resistance. It wasn't easy to break free from the norms. To break free from what you thought was right for so long. But slowly, they began to understand that not just because it had been the practice for so long, means that it was right. 

Renjun began earning the respect of many, recognizing him as one of the pioneers in creating the change. They no longer look at him, Jungwoo, Yukhei, Guanheng and Yongqin weirdly, for looking differently, for being outsiders. They began to accept them as one of their own. 

Speaking of Yongqin, he was starting to miss his brother. It's been a five years since he left for Icaria, finally deciding to give a chance to the Icarian knight, who had been pursuing him for five years, not yet including the time they met in Sayara. 

It was heart breaking to part ways with him again, but it was comforting to know that Icaria was only a few distance away, and this time, no one could ever prevent them from seeing each other when they want to. 

He felt a pair of arms snaked around his waist, palm placed on his stomach, he returned back to the present. 

"Boy, " His husband told him. 

"Girl, " he replied. "We already have a Chenle. "

"Fine, " Jeno answered. "Alpha. "

Renjun chuckle. "Omega. Or Beta. "

Jeno placed his chin on his shoulder, Renjun looked around. "There are people around, Your Majesty. " 

"And they all know we're mates. "

Renjun sighed. He place his hand on top op Jeno's own. 

"I thought it was supposed to be the omega who's clingy during pregnancy." He said. 

"We've long thrown away gender stereotypes in Polaria, Renjun. "

"Hmm. That we did. "

Seven years had past. Seven long years of trying and failing, until finally succeeding into leaving the past behind. 

Leaving the past behind did not mean forgetting it ever happened. Leaving the past behind meant acknowledging that was there, and that there was not the same as here. 

Forgiveness was not something you could give away in a blink of an eye. It was not something you could force, otherwise, that forgiveness would be nothing but a lie, and hatred and fear would always be lurking in the air, trying to find an opportunity to strike, a vulnerable situation to reappear once again. 

It was true that acknowledging that the Past Jeno and the Present Jeno were the same person made things harder. But it got better in times. Sure, there were times when Renjun was afraid that the Present Jeno would turn back to who he was before. But as years passed by, as he get to know the present Jeno more, the more sure he became that yes, this was the same person then but he changed for the better. He changed because of Chenle. He changed because of Renjun. 

Seven years was long. There were countless of times when they both needed to sleep in different rooms during Renjun's heat and Jeno's rut. It wasn't the sex they were afraid of. It was what would happen after the sex. The uncomfortable feeling, a reminder of what happened in the past, that they were reluctant to repeat again. They weren't ready. They were not quite there yet. 

Seven years was long. But luckily, less than seven years was enough to finally give forgiveness. 

Genuinely. 

Completely. 

And with forgiveness came respect. And maybe, even love. 

Love is a word that both of them were uncomfortable to use. Their's was not a love story like that of Mark and Haechan's nor Taeyong and Jaehyun's. 

Their's was story of surviving the odds through the presence of one another. 

Salvation. Salvation was the word that Jeno preferred for him. Because Renjun saved his soul. He saved him before it was to late, before he completely became one with the cold. 

And Maybe, Jeno was his salvation, too. He saved him countless of times. More importantly, he saved him from himself before he could live a life filled with pretensions that they were okay, and showed him that reality might be hard but in the end it would all be worth it.

Chenle and Jisung both made their way to them, running. Face and clothes filled with dirt after sparring. 

"Appa, is the baby kicking? " Chenle asked, Jisung beside him also looked curiously.

Renjun chuckled. "We need a few more months before the baby could kick. "

Chenle pouted. "Why can't he come out faster? I am getting tired of Jisung! "

"Hey! " the younger prince protested. "Weren't you the one who always wanted me to visit? Father is even worried I'll like Polaria more than Icaria. "

"I was just teasing! " Chenle reasoned.

Renjun and Jeno watched fondly as two raced around the palace, Guanheng tiredly trailing after the two youth.

There were still a lot of things they were uncertain about, aside from Chenle's subgender, and their new unborn child's gender and subgender. 

The Red Queen was still silent. She had been for so long. Renjun was afraid that she would suddenly attack from out of nowhere. 

They still wasn't sure what would happen, if one day, Chenle or his unborn sibling would want to assert their right to the throne of Paree. If Renjun was to be asked, he would rather ask them to be contented with Polaria. Because the New Polaria was so much better. The New Polaria was safe. 

But Renjun knew that when the time comes, he would let his children decide. 

"It's getting colder, " Jeno commented. "Do you want to go inside? "

It was indeed, getting colder. But somehow, he found it bearable. He wasn't sure if it was because he learned to adjust to the the cold, or that it was really less colder. That perhaps, after breaking down the barriers Polaria, the sun was finally able to reach them. 

Nevertheless, he nodded to his husband and let himself be taken by the hand as they walk back to their chamber. 

"Renjun, " Jeno called him. 

"Yes, Your Majesty? " 

"I never told you before, " Jeno paused. Thinking of the right words to use. "But thank you. Thank you for giving me a family. For giving me the family I never thought I'd want. Thank you for giving me the family I never deserved. "

Thinking back, Renjun never wanted to have his own as well. But now, if he would be ever offered by a god to erase all the bad memories in his past at the cost of his family, their family, he would probably decline. They were worth all of those bad memories. 

"And I must thank you for the same thing as well, " he answered. "But you are very wrong Jeno. "

"About what? " his husband asked. 

"About you not deserving this family. You deserve all of this. All of us. And you should never doubt that. Ever again."

Jeno took a deep breath before humming his agreement. "What would I even do without you now? "

"You don't even have to wonder, " he said. "I will not leave. "

"Is that a promise to your King? "

"No," he answered. "But a promise to my husband."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡
> 
> Now, let's wait for Damage Undone.

**Author's Note:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are very much appreciated! Thank you ♡♡♡♡♡
> 
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/Rainy_Summer)


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